AIM to Empower. Building Cultural Unity in Community

Writer michael vyskocil

Photographer Eric Forberger

Moving the body, entering into curiosity, quieting the mind: asana, inquiry and meditation. For Beth Weaver, these three fundamental principles of Baptiste yoga are the generators of positive change and builders of cultural unity in community through the work of the nonprofit AIM to Empower.

As AIM’s executive director, Weaver believes that transformative change can happen when people connect with themselves through opportunities opened through the practices of yoga. “I was completing my teacher training with Evolution Power Yoga, and I thought of all the people in our communities who were in need,” she says. “I wanted to find a way to take yoga into the community in a bigger way, bringing an experience to people who literally cannot get to a studio.”

What is possible for you? Possibility, Weaver says, is what AIM to Empower hopes to instill in people through its community outreach yoga programs. “The connections start on the mat … we build connections through breath. We see people start connecting with one another; we see people drop their filters and the negative self-talk. They see their potential as they become aware of the movements within their own bodies.”

AIM to Empower has begun its work in Lancaster with at-risk youth through the Bench Mark Program as well as with inmates at the Lancaster County Prison, the IU13 Refugee and Immigrant Education Project, the Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster and The Mix at Arbor Place. Weaver adds that AIM to Empower is actively working in York to create programs for adults and children in both the city and in York County.

“AIM’s outreach programs bring excitement and opportunity,” she says, “and a building of community within community.” Her hope is that all who experience the acceptance, inclusion and love brought about through AIM’s yoga and meditation programs find empowerment to create harmony and solidarity within their lives and in the lives of others.

INSIDER TIP

The Evolution Learning Institute offers a 100-hour Outreach Training to help individuals use the tools of yoga to reduce conflict and build authentic connections with people within their communities. Visit aimtoempower.org/outreach-training for upcoming dates and for ways to donate to support the work of AIM to Empower.

evolution power yoga

Queensgate Town Center 2093 Springwood Rd. York, PA 17403
717.699.2000

Originally Appears in Issue 21
Page 20

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